Philosophiae Doctor - PhD / Small, Medium and Micro Enterprises (SMMEs) play a significant role in an economy. Thus, governments all over the world concentrate on the development of the small business sector to endorse economic growth. SMMEs are a large contributor to the creation of job opportunities, improvement of the economy, and promote the effective use of regional resources which leads to the engineering of economic development and growth. SMMEs are an important source of jobs, entrepreneurial spirit and innovation and are thus vital to promoting competitiveness. However, despite the noted contribution of SMMEs, in many countries they face serious constraints, often resulting in failure. The constraints and economic environment have significant and unequal effects on SMMEs in different industries and in different locations. Constraints have been used, amongst other growth factors, to understand why some SMMEs fail to grow.This study lays the foundation for understanding the concept of SMME growth. SMME growth was examined in detail, and found to be heterogeneous in nature. The variation in measures used in SMME growth studies, the variation in growth indicators, the variation in the measurement of growth over time, and the variation in the characteristics of the SMMEs are all important features of SMME growth as a phenomenon. SMME growth models were examined to further understand why some firms survive and grow, and others fail. The models examined the problems SMMEs experience at different stages of growth, and the actions to be taken to overcome them as they progress from one stage to the next. Four growth models identified in the literature is discussed: stochastic models of firm growth, the resource-based view of firm growth, the motivation view on organizational growth, and the life cycle view of firm growth. The study then discussed the concept of constraints to growth, and conducted a literature review on the effect of some factors that act as constraints to SMME growth. It was concluded that constraints have a negative effect on SMME growth. The study also discussed various theoretical models on the financing of firms, starting with the traditional concept of the financial behaviour of firms. The relevancy of trade-off theory, agency theory, and the pecking order theory to SMME finance and capital structure is also examined. The theories explain the financial behaviour of enterprises, taking into account their different characteristics and problems. It is suggested by the theories that internal sources of finance such as equity, retained earnings, and venture capitalists represent the cheapest and best source of SMMEs capital structure. The study applied a quantitative research survey. The approach enabled the determination of the factors acting as constraints to SMME growth, and examination of how SMMEs could overcome these constraints to survive and grow. The approach chosen aims at investigating the moderating effect of microfinance on the relationship between financial constraints and SMME growth. The primary aim of this study was to explore and investigate the factors acting as constraints to SMME growth. The study investigated the effect of nine types of constraints on SMME growth namely: lack of access to finance, lack of skilled employees, competition, corruption, lack of professional financial advisors, lack of clear business plan, government rules and regulations, lack of awareness of financial services and assistance, and lack of government support. The study also empirically examined the moderating effect of microfinance on overcoming, avoiding or mitigating the financial constraints to SMME growth in South Africa, particularly in the province of the Western Cape. In order to assess the aim of the study, five secondary objectives were developed. The objectives were subdivided into seven hypotheses. The study found evidence that the lack of skilled employees, competition, corruption, lack of awareness of financial services and assistance, lack of professional financial advisors and lack of access to finance were significant constraints to SMME growth in South Africa. An important contribution this study makes is that microfinance provides a way to overcome or mitigate financial constraints for SMMEs. The negative effect of a lack of professional financial advisors and the lack of access to finance is reduced when SMMEs make use of microfinance source. As such this is an important finding that adds to existing studies on the role of constraints as well as to the literature on entrepreneurship in developing economies. However, contrary to the study hypothesis, microfinance does not moderate the relationship between the lack of awareness of financial services and assistance, and SMME growth. This can be attributed to the important role that has to be played by the microfinance institutions (MFI) and government agencies in ensuring that procedures are simple, financial products are demand driven, and clear and brief financial information is provided. These results imply that microfinance can play a positive role in SMME growth particularly for SMMEs that experience financial constraints. The study also suggests that MFIs and government agencies should provide more information to the public in particular to SMMEs. This study is not without its limitations. Firstly, the study is based on the province of the Western Cape, of South Africa. In a South African context, with its two tiered economy, the Western Cape is perceived to be a "developed" economy as opposed to other developing African countries. Further studies can be conducted in other countries or can include samples from other provinces to compare the results. Secondly, as this study provides only a measurement at one moment in time, we are not able to establish causal and longitudinal effects. However, the sample size of this study is favourable in comparison to other recent studies, and thus provides extended validity. Future studies that apply longitudinal designs are needed to establish the causality of the relationships found in this study.

京都大学 / 0048 / 新制・課程博士 / 博士(経済学) / 甲第20653号 / 経博第553号 / 新制||経||282(附属図書館) / 京都大学大学院経済学研究科経済学専攻 / (主査)教授 矢野 剛, 教授 劉 徳強, 教授 三重野 文晴, 准教授 高野 久紀 / 学位規則第4条第1項該当 / Doctor of Economics / Kyoto University / DFAM

The Industrial Organization literature investigates the product market decisions of a firm while the corporate finance literature explores the financing decisions of the firm. But the truth is both the financing decisions and the product market decisions are interdependent and should be modeled together to develop a better understanding of a firm's decisions. This thesis takes a step in that direction. The manager of a firm caters to the equity holders of the firm who are protected by limited liability. Ex-ante debt is issued and at the time of product market decision, debt is exogenous. The traditional product market capital market interaction literature has argued that debt financing leads to more aggressive product market strategies. If debt is treated as endogenous and/or the switching state of nature is endogenous, it can be shown that debt financing may lead to less aggressive product market strategies. Further, if external financing consists of both debt and equity financing, it is shown that a financially constrained firm shall produce less than what it would have produced if it was not financially constrained. Finally, managerial compensation is reported to be one of the reasons for product market aggressiveness of a firm in the context of product market capital market interaction. / Ph. D.

Yes / We empirically investigate the impact of different ownership groups on companies’ investment in Ukraine with a novel dynamic investment model where investment is based on present and historical levels of profitability (market-to-book value of equity) and lagged investment. Groups include state, insider, non-domestic, financial and financial and industrial group (FIG) ownership. Contrary to the literature, we find that the past level of profitability significantly affects investment; the presence of and increases in state ownership have a negative impact on firms’ investment, as is the case for non-domestic and financial companies’ ownership. Insider and FIG ownership have no impact on investment. We explain the results by the extent of liquidity concerns (hard and soft budget constraints) and the extent of asset stripping for the corresponding ownership group and relate them to over- and underinvestment, and to the free cash flow or cash constraint hypothesis.

Cette thèse examine l'impact de la structure du marché bancaire sur l’activité économique et les contraintes financières des petites et moyennes entreprises (PME) et l'efficacité des banques au niveau local. Il comprend trois chapitres empiriques. Le premier chapitre s’intéresse à l’impact du relationship banking sur les contraintes financières des PME et s'appuie sur deux indicateurs alternatifs pour saisir différentes dimensions de ces contraintes. Les résultats soulignent le rôle ambigu de la proximité bancaire et de la relation client face aux contraintes financières des PME. Sur la période 2005-2013, la présence accrue de banques régionales ou géographiquement concentrées contribue à atténuer les contraintes de crédit à court terme des PME françaises mais accroît leur sensibilité aux flux de trésorerie liés aux investissements. En outre, dans les deux cas, les contraintes financières des PME sont renforcées sur des marchés distants sur le plan fonctionnel. De plus, en période de crise, les avantages de la relation bancaire sur la contrainte de crédit à court terme demeurent et, dans certains cas, sont renforcés. Nous constatons également que la présence accrue des banques régionales facilite l'accès au crédit à court terme pour les entreprises plus rentables avant la crise financière mondiale et particulièrement pour celles qui ont connu une forte baisse de leur rentabilité en période de crise. Le deuxième chapitre analyse l’impact des relations de crédit via une plus grande proximité bancaire sur l’activité économique réelle, en s’appuyant à la fois sur des données individuelles de firmes et sur des données macroénomiques au niveau des départements. Il s’intéresse également à l’impact différencié de cette proximité en fonction du degré de dépendance au financement externe des PME françaises sur la période 2005-2013. Nos résultats révèlent que la relation de crédit via une plus grande proximité bancaire est bénéfique pour l'activité économique des PME en temps normal et en période de crise. De plus, parmi ces PME, les avantages de la proximité bancaire sont les plus importants pour les micro-entreprises. De plus, nos résultats montrent une forte hétérogénéité dans l’impact de la structure du marché bancaire local en fonction du degré de dépendance vis-à-vis du financement extérieur. Notre analyse macroéconomique montre également que une plus forte proximité bancaire a un impact positif sur l’emploi et stimule la croissance de l’activité économique. Le troisième chapitre analyse l’impact l'impact des caractéristiques des banques et des marchés locaux sur l'efficacité des succursales bancaires. Cette analyse s’appuie sur un ensemble données détaillé au niveau des succursales en Chine sur la période 2008-2011. Nos résultats suggèrent que les caractéristiques des marchés tant locaux que bancaires affectent l’efficacité des succursales bancaires. Les succursales de banques appartenant à l'État ont l’efficience-profit la plus forte mais l’efficience-coût la plus faible, tandis que les succursales de banques étrangères ont l’efficience-profit la plus élevée. En outre, la concurrence des banques et le développement économique sur le marché local contribuent à promouvoir l'efficacité des succursales. De plus, l’efficacité des banques et l’efficacité du marché bancaire local peuvent influer sur l’efficacité des succursales, l’impact de l’efficacité des banques étant économiquement plus important. Nos résultats suggèrent que la structure du marché bancaire local a un impact statistiquement et économiquement significatif sur l’activité économique et les contraintes financières des PME, l'activité économique réelle et l'efficacité des banques. Les superviseurs bancaires et les régulateurs doivent veiller à maintenir un environnement bancaire diversifié, garantissant la présence de banques locales et géographiquement concentrées, et à renforcer la concurrence des banques afin de stimuler la croissance économique. / This dissertation examines the impact of banking mar ket structure on SMEs financial constraints, real economic activity and bank efficiency at a local level. It comprises three empirical essays as three chapters, the first two chapters are on French banking market and the third one is on Chinese banking mar ket. The first chapter investigates the relevance of relationship lending for SMEs and continuation lending during crisisrelying on two alternative indicators to capture different dimensions of SMEs financial constraints. The findings emphasize the ambiguous role of banking proximity and of relationship banking on SMEs financial constraints. Over the 2005-2013 period, for French manufacturing SME s, higher presence of regional banks or of geographically-focused banks help to alle viate their short-term credit constraint, while lar germarket share of national banks or stronger presence of geographically-diversified banks is beneficial to reduce their investment cash-flow sensitivity. Moreover, in both cases, SMEs’ financial constraints are strengthened in functionally-distant mar kets. In addition, during crisis times, the benefits of relationship banking on short-term credit constraint remains and, insome cases, are reinforced. We also find that these benefits differ according to SMEs pre-crisis financial health, in line with pre vious findings of continuation lending during crisis.The second chapter analyzes the impact of relationship lending through a stronger banking proximity on real economic activity at both firm le vel and county (department) level and the heterogeneity of this impact based on SMEs external financial dependence in France over the 2005-2013 period. Our results confirm the benefits of elationship banking for SMEs as highlighted in the pre vious chapter. A stronger banking proximity is beneficial to SMEs’ economic activity in both ormal and crisis times, even after controlling for times, county, industry and firm level characteristics, and these benefits are stronger for micro firms, the smallest and more informationally-opaque SMEs. In addition, our results show a significant heterogeneity in the impact of local banking market structure among small firms depending on the le vel of dependence on external finance. Further, our macroeconomic analysis also provide evidence that local banking market structure has statistically and economically significant impact on economic activity. The third chapter analyzes the finance-growth nexus from a different perspective by investigating what drives bank branch efficiency. Three efficiency measures are adopted to estimate the impact of bank and local market characteristics on bank branch efficiency using a detailed branch-level dataset in China over the 2008-2011 period. Our findings suggest that both bank and local market characteristics affect bank branch efficiency. Branches of state-own banks are the most profit efficient and least cost efficient, while branches of foreign banks are the most cost efficient. In addition, bank competition and economic development in local market help promote branch efficiency. In addition, both bank efficiency and local banking market efficiency can affect branch efficiency, and the impact of bank efficiency is econ omically more significant. Our findings suggest that local banking market structure has a statistically and economically significant impact on small business lending, real economic activity and bank efficiency, bank supervisors and regulators should pay at tention to maintain a diversified banking environment, guaranty the presence of local and geographically-focused banks, and enhance bank competition to stimulate growth.

Reducing firms’ financial constraints can be an important element for economic growth. Previous scholars have documented various factors that affect firms’ ability to access finance (e.g. Lambert et al., 2007, p. 385). In this study, we investigate the impact of financial reporting credibility in reducing firms’ financial constraints. In addition, we study the role that rule of law at a country level have on the above stated association. We hypothesize that financial reporting credibility decreases firms’ financial constraints. Then, we propose that the ability of financial reporting credibility to reduce financial constraints weakens when rule of law (at a country level) decreases. This is the first study to investigate how the association between financial reporting credibility and financial constraints are affected by rule of law on a country level, to the authors’ knowledge. The study uses 52,381 firms operating in 98 countries that responded to the World Bank’s Enterprise Surveys between the time period 2006 to 2015. Financial constraints are measured through a variable that takes into consideration the perceived amount of obstacles firms are facing in their current operations and the proxy for financial credibility is whether firms have been audited or not. Our moderating term is the World Bank’s rule of law index. By using both regression and matching analysis, we find a significant negative association between financial credibility and financial constraints. This indicates that increased financial reporting credibility leads to less financial constraints for firms. For the moderating effect of the rule of law, the results are insignificant. However, we observe that when the level of rule of law is high, increased financial credibility leads to minor improvements in access to external finance.

O intento do trabalho é verificar se empresas com ações negociadas na Bovespa enfrentam restrição ao crédito. A análise de painel com base em dados de balanço patrimonial para o período de 2001 a 2005 revelou que, diferentemente do que se esperava, empresas de grande porte apresentam maior dependência dos fluxos de caixa para efetivar seus investimentos. Todavia, há argumentos teóricos na literatura que fundamentam esses resultados, bem como outras evidências empíricas semelhantes. / The paper focuses on evaluating whether Brazilian listed firms have faced financial constraints. Relying on data over the period 2001-2005, a panel data analysis was carried out, but the evidence raised turned out differently from the initially expected: large firms are more sensitive to cash flows to undertake their investment than smaller ones. Nonetheless, the recent literature provides theoretical rationale to deal with those findings as well as empirical evidence consistent with them.

Considerando a importância dos fatores financeiros nas decisões de investimento e as restrições financeiras das firmas, os intermediários financeiros mostram-se como importantes provedores de fonte de recursos para a viabilização dos investimentos. Devido a esta ligação, um possível canal de transmissão no qual o setor financeiro afeta o crescimento e risco das empresas ocorre pela dependência de recursos financeiros externos, portanto, o risco e retorno das firmas devem ser afetados pelas dificuldades das entidades financeiras. Atentando a esta circunstância o objetivo deste estudo é de verificar na economia brasileira os efeitos do alastramento de risco do setor financeiro para a economia real nas decisões de investimentos das firmas, as quais perpassam por conjunturas de restrição financeira. Para atingir tal objetivo utiliza-se informações financeiras e retorno das ações das empresas de capital aberto no Brasil no período de 1997 a 2015. O alastramento do risco do retorno é estimado por um processo VAR-GARCH, e o contágio financeiro pelo indicador de co-excessos condicionais. Essas variáveis são inseridas em um modelo neoclássico acelerador de investimento modificado, para um grupo de firmas restritas e outro de não restritas, classificadas pelos índices KZ e WW. A estimação do modelo de investimento é realizada pelo GMM system e os resultados mostram que o nível do alastramento do risco do setor financeiro para as firmas impacta negativamente nas taxas de investimento das empresas restritas tanto pelo índice KZ, quanto pelo WW. O estudo amplia a literatura nacional utilizando um enfoque microeconômico do alastramento do risco e dos co-excessos condicionais e abordando a questão do alastramento do risco no modelo de investimento. / Considering the importance of financial factors and financial constraints in firm\'s investment decisions, financial sector show up as important source of funds providers to the viability of industry investments. Because of this connection, a possible transmission channel in which the financial intermediaries affect firm\'s growth and risk is from the dependence on external financial funds, so the risk and return of firms should be affected by the difficulties and vagaries of financial sector. In accordance to this circumstance this study aim\'s to verify the effects of the financial sector risk spillover and contagion to the real economy in constrained, and unconstrained, firms\' investment decisions. To achieve this goal, we use financial data and stock returns of publicly traded companies in Brazil from 1997 to 2015. The risk spillover is estimated by a VAR-GARCH process, and financial contagion by an index called conditional co-exceedance. These variables are included in a modified neoclassical accelerator model of investment, splitting the observations into groups of constrained and unconstrained firms, classified by KZ and WW indexes. The estimation of the investment model is performed by GMM system, and the results show that the level of financial sector risk spillover negatively impact investment rates of constrained companies, both by the KZ and WW segregations. This study contributes to the national literature using a microeconomic approach to the risk spillover and conditional co-exceedances addressing it to the investment model.

This study intends to examine the occurrence and effectiveness of minority block transactions in the presence of financial constraints in target firms. Minority transactions represent a strategic decision with specific characteristics if compared to the various forms of integration. In fact, several authors claim that minority block transactions may represent an alternative to alleviate financial constraints. However, there are still few studies that empirically address the relationship between financial constraints and the occurrence of such transactions. More specifically, there is no empirical evidence that states that minority transactions actually ease targets\' financial restrictions and foster corporate investment. Using a panel composed of approximately 12.000 deals, results show a positive relationship between the presence of financial constraints in target firms and the occurrence of minority transactions. Moreover, there is a significant difference between on the growth of investment and leverage indicators of target firms\' related to its counterfactuals after deal completion, indicating the effectiveness of minority transactions in alleviating such companies\' restrictions. / Este trabalho pretende examinar a ocorrência e a efetividade de transações minoritárias de participação na presença de restrições financeiras nas empresas alvo. Transações minoritárias em empresas representam uma decisão estratégica com características peculiares em relação aos diversos tipos de integração empresarial. De fato, diversos autores afirmam que transações de partes minoritárias de empresas podem representar uma alternativa para aliviar restrições financeiras. No entanto, ainda existem poucos estudos que analisam empiricamente a relação entre restrições financeiras e a ocorrência de tais transações. Mais especificamente, não há evidência empírica que afirme de fato que compras minoritárias de participações em empresas podem aliviar suas restrições financeiras ao investimento. Utilizando um painel composto de aproximadamente doze mil transações minoritárias feitas entre adquirentes americanos e alvos internacionais, os resultados demonstram uma relação positiva entre a presença de restrições financeiras ao investimento em empresas e a ocorrência de transações minoritárias. Adicionalmente, há uma diferença significativa entre os indicadores de crescimento e alavancagem das firmas alvo em relação aos seus contrafactuais após o período da transação, indicando a efetividade dos processos de transações minoritárias em relaxar as restrições financeiras das empresas.

O objetivo do presente trabalho é analisar a presença da restrição financeira nas decisões de investimentos em condições de incerteza de um conjunto de 1223 empresas brasileiras no período de 1986 a 2006. A incerteza é incorporada no modelo de investimento considerando o comportamento das variáveis vendas e fluxo de caixa como um movimento browniano com drift. Além disso, a variável fluxo de caixa é analisada em baixa e alta incerteza, considerando três diferentes medidas para a incerteza: a variação anual do índice Ibovespa, o desvio-padrão de vendas e de fluxo de caixa. Já para considerar o efeito da restrição financeira sobre as decisões de investimento as firmas são agrupadas de acordo com o grau de intensidade de capital, tamanho da firma e grau tecnológico. A estimação dos parâmetros da equação do investimento é realizada considerando-se o modelo misto. O modelo misto, ainda não utilizado em estudos brasileiros na análise do comportamento das decisões de investimento, permite considerar a heterogeneidade nos coeficientes das variáveis independentes, o que evita o viés introduzido pela suposição de homogeneidade. Os resultados obtidos neste estudo mostraram uma maior sensibilidade do investimento ao fluxo de caixa para as firmas mais intensivas em capital, firmas de médio porte e firmas com alto grau tecnológico. Esses resultados se mantêm quando a variável fluxo de caixa é analisada em alta incerteza, ou seja, o investimento das firmas com alta intensidade de capital, médio porte e com alto grau tecnológico é mais sensível ao fluxo de caixa em condições de alta incerteza. / The aim of this research is to analyze the presence of financial constraints on investments decisions under uncertainty using data from 1223 Brazilian firms over the 1986 to 2006 period. Uncertainty is incorporated in the model of investment decisions considering the sales and cash flow variables, which are estimated by a stochastic equation of Brownian motion. In addition, the variable cash flow is grouped by high and low uncertainty according to annual rate of the Ibovespa index, the standard deviation of sales and cash flow. To consider the effects of financial constraints on firms investment decisions, this study used the degree of capital intensity, size, and the technological degree to classify firms. The investment equation parameters are estimated considering the mixed model. The mixed model, it has not yet been used in analysis of Brazilian firms, allows considering the heterogeneity on explanatory variables, which avoids the bias introduced by assumption of homogeneity. The results show greater sensitivity of investment to cash flow for more capital-intensive firms, medium and high-tech ones. These results keep when cash-flow variable is analyzed by high uncertainty, i.e, for these firms the investment is more sensitive to cash flow under higher uncertainty.